The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that it has temporarily suspended activities at its returnee encashment centres across Afghanistan, after de facto authorities ordered Afghan female staff not to work.
In a statement released on Thursday, the UN commission said that its women employees had been refused access to some of its locations across the country.
“Security forces are visibly present at the entrances of UN premises in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif to enforce the restriction. This is particularly concerning in view of continuing restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls,” the statement said.
The encashment centres (EC's) provide cash support and other assistance to Afghans returning after years of displacement and exile. According to UNHCR, 52% of returnees are women, meaning female staff are essential to interviewing and supporting them.
Arafat Jamal, UNHCR’s Representative in Afghanistan, said the suspension was unavoidable.
“We are working towards a solution that will enable female aid workers to assist female returnees, and are hopeful for a speedy and pragmatic resolution, in collaboration with the authorities. Meanwhile, we have been forced to temporarily suspend activities.” Jamal said.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), raised the issue directly with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul during a meeting with diplomats.
She urged the authorities to lift restrictions, stressing that the situation is “unacceptable”, and asked Muttaqi to take personal responsibility.
“Our national women staff can’t come to the UNAMA office to work, to do this rescue work. I think this is unacceptable… We want your personal involvement and help to make our work possible,” she told the minister.
The suspension risks deepening humanitarian crisis in an already vulnerable country.
The UN estimates that more than 29 million people in Afghanistan require aid, with women and children disproportionately affected.
Analysts have warned that cutting women staff from humanitarian operations could leave millions without access to essential services such as food, shelter, and health care.
UNHCR stressed that its priority remains the safety and security of staff, “particularly among our female staff, and at the same time, supporting the humanitarian needs of displaced and returning Afghans, as we have done for four decades.”
Afghan authorities have not yet issued a formal response to UNHCR’s announcement.
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for t...
The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus and European partners have put a six-wheeled Mars rover prototype through its paces in Spain’s Tabern...
Azerbaijan won 22 medals, including seven gold, at the Mingachevir Regatta 2026 as more than 100 young rowers from 12 countries competed in the int...
Yemen's air force carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets earlier on Friday, Brigadier General Majid Abdullah Al-Nuzaili, Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, said. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis denied targeting a power plant supplying energy to a mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel may participate in the investigation into a serious incident aboard a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv, while investigators examine the motive of the co-pilot involved.
Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their ice in 2026, making it one of their worst years on record as a dry winter and repeated heatwaves accelerated melting across the Alps.
Passengers from a flydubai flight that was diverted to Saudi Arabia after an alleged attempt to crash the aircraft have arrived safely in Israel.
Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, according to a diplomatic document seen by Reuters.
A retired Australian builder has arrived in Baku in his 1929 Pontiac Roadster during an epic journey from Bangkok to Istanbul, using the nearly century-old car to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Around 400 schools across France remained closed on Friday as protests over teacher shortages and deteriorating buildings escalated into violence, leaving dozens injured and leading to 2,000 arrests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow wanted to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations as soon as possible, while insisting that any settlement must meet conditions acceptable to Russia and include security guarantees.
The family of Renee Good, a U.S. citizen fatally shot by an immigration agent in Minneapolis in January, has sued the Trump administration, accusing federal officials of excessive force and unconstitutional conduct.
Ukraine is working to resolve a diplomatic dispute with South Korea after Kyiv publicly disclosed the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Thursday, 1 October.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment